Child of Mutants
by Kathryn Draconna
Summary: A freak among freaks is one way to describe poor MaryKathryn Donovan. Updated... Chapter Five up. Enter Magneto.
1. Powers Discovered

**Disclaimer: I don't own Professor X. or Magneto, who are both mentioned in this, but all else is mine.**

Mary-Kathryn stands in her room sullenly and thinks,_ Why does this have to be happening to me?... Why do I have to be a mutant on top of everything else!_

She glares at her reflection in her mirror, "I'm fat, stupid, and the un-artistic daughter of two artists. And now I'm also a MUTANT?"

Mary-Kathryn hears her mother's voice from the kitchen down-stairs, "M. Kat, are you ready to go yet?...You'll be late for school!"

Mary-Kathryn fumes to herself, "Why can't she just call me Kat… I hate it when she adds that stupid M… Oh, well, I better get down there before dad decides to get involved…" She yells down, "Coming, Mom! I'll only be a sec!"

Kat slings her purse and bag on her shoulder as she runs for the stairs. Her mom, Megan Donovan, catches Kat's shoulders as she bolts down the stairs. Megan shakes her head as she scolds her daughter, "Slow down, M. Kat! You're gonna hurt yourself coming down the steps like that!"

Kat rolls her eyes as she says cockily, "Oh, come on, Mom! It's not like I'm a little KID!"

Megan looks at Kat sternly, "No, you're not, so please don't act like one!"

Kat lowers her eyes and sulks, "I'm sorry, Mom… I'll try to be more careful…"

Kat's father, James Donovan, chuckles, "No, you won't, that's the problem with you! You never slow down to watch where you're going."

Kat hugs her dad before heading out the door. She throws over her shoulder, "What is there to watch?"

James and Megan exchange looks. James gives his wife a kiss good-bye, "I'll see you tonight, Hun."

Megan gives him a quick peck on her way out the door, "I have a meeting with my publisher tonight, so you'll have to take M. Kat to the mall… I promised her she could go! Sorry, Hun."

James sighs, "Don't worry, I'll take her…" James grabs his violin case and coat before heading out after his wife and daughter. Kat waves to James as she climbs in the car with Megan. James waves back, "Have a good day at school, and don't get into any trouble, Mary!" Kat winces at her dad's insistence in using her first name.

Megan asks, "Seat-belt, M. Kat?"

Kat grabs her seat-belt and latches it quick, "Yeah, let's go already!"

Ten minutes later, Megan pulls the car in front of Kat's school and parks long enough for Kat to jump out. Megan hands Kat her bag, "Have a good day, M. Kat, and remember not to make fun of anyone that's different."

Kat shrugs on her bag and purse, "Why would I? I'm different too!"

Megan smiles at Kat's retreating back and thinks, _If only you knew just how different._

Kat sits in her English class day-dreaming instead of doing her homework. Her mind roams to the previous night replaying it in her mind:

Kat was sitting on her bed admiring the iron dragon figurine that her dad had bought for her. She was just wondering if she was imagining that she could feel the metal, when she saw the figurine rise into the air a few inches and start to melt and twist. Kat immediately freaked and ran out of her room. When she had gone back in a few hours later, the dragon had still be floating there, half-melted, and other metal things had been edging closer and closer to the dragon. It fell when Kat panicked at hearing her mom coming down the hall.

Kat jolts out of her day-dream to see her English teacher, Miss Sheaffer, standing in front of her desk. Kat glances around nervously as her teacher states with a smile, "I know my class is riveting, Miss Donovan, but the bell has rung, and you have another class to get to, do you not?"

Kat jumps out of her seat and blushes, "Umm… Yeah, I do… sorry!" She runs out the door and down the hall toward her next class. Half-way to her Algebra class, Kat runs into the school bullies, the Blood Brothers. The Blood Brothers are known for being ruthless in torturing any hapless soul that crosses their path, and even though there are only four of the seniors, some of the teachers even think twice about crossing paths with the gang. The oldest of the boys, William Glose, always has his hands on any of the gang's dirty-work, while the other three members, Fred Jose, Isac Fisher, and Luke Taft are only there to help or cheer their leader on.

Kat's face contorts to a grimace at the site of the notorious gang, and she thinks to herself, _Great just what I wanted to see –the biggest idiots in the school. I wonder what poor soul or souls they are torturing this time._

Kat stops dead in her tracks when she sees a few of her friends are the focus of the Blood Brothers' attentions. Towering over the eighth graders in front of him, William Glose, AKA Bloody Bill, taunts Kat's friends, "Where are you off to in such a hurry, twerps?"

Kat's best friend Matt Coffer steps forward, "Why don't you just let us get to class, and get to your own?"

Bloody Bill sneers at the younger students, "What and miss all the fun of making you squirm! Get back in line with your little friends, squirt, and wait your turn!" When Matt doesn't listen, Bill punches him.

Kat doesn't even think about what she's doing as she steps in front of Matt and stares down Bloody Bill, "Back off, Bill. I won't let you hurt my friends!"

"And just what are you gonna do about it, shorty?" Kat has to strain her neck to meet Bill's gaze as he takes a menacing step toward her. Kat feels her anger go from blistering hot to ice cold as she meets Bill's leer with a haughty look.

When Bill raises his hand to bat her to the side, something snaps in the back of Kat's mind. Kat says levelly, "Anything I can, Bill." Suddenly, water starts shooting from the water fountain a few feet away and catches all the Blood Brother's off guard.

Bloody Bill starts yelling, "That freak is doing things again… the Mutant is back… RUN!" The Blood Brothers run down the hall with fear inspired speed. Kat helps Matt up and walks quietly with her friends to Algebra.

On their way to class Kat's friends discuss the mutant enthusiastically while Kat loses herself to her thoughts. Matt tells their group, "The Mutant's timing couldn't have been better! I thought Bloody Bill was gonna pulverize us for sure!"

Callia Hendrick Kat's second best friend adds, "Yeah, you and Kat for sure, Matt! I mean what were you thinking standing up to the Blood Brothers like that?"

Kat's mind does frantic loops as what happened sinks in,_ Oh, great, I'm not just a mutant…I'm a mutant that just made a water fountain spray the school hallway… What am I going to do! And what was that thing with the water? It didn't feel the same as when I made the dragon float…_What Kat's friends are saying finally sinks into her mind, "Umm… you guys, I need to tell you something after school… about what just happened in the hallway… you wanna meet me in the Niche, right after the bell?"

Matt nods, "Sure, Kat, no prob." Kat hurries into the classroom ahead of Matt and Callia, so Matt asks Callia, "Do you know what's up with her, Cal?"

Cal answers, "Nope, but it's gotta be pretty big for her to want to meet in the Niche."

The rest of the school day Kat avoids any unnecessary contact with her friends, thinking, _What if I do something again? What if one of my friends is hurt! I'll tell them after school and ask them to stay away from me until I figure out what's going on, and get things under control… they should understand that,_ and when the final bell rings, she is out the door and outside the school in no time. She rounds the corner coming out of the front doors and dashes into the alcove in the school wall that she and her friends use as a meeting place when they have important things to talk about. Her mind races again, _What if they don't understand? What if they call me a freak and leave me… or worse tell everyone about my powers! What if… No, they have been my friends for too long to just walk out on me… and if they do, well, I'll deal with that when it happens. There is too much that COULD happen, so I have to keep my mind on what IS happening._

She sees her friends approaching, _Here they come. Lord, help me to do this._ Kat smiles awkwardly at her friends, "Hey, guys… I have something big to tell you… umm… this is gonna sound really weird, but… umm… I'm a mutant, and-"

Matt cuts in, "_You_ are a mutant! That is _so_ cool! Man, you are lucky, Kat… So what can you do?" Cal elbows Matt and he looks at her, "What! She is lucky you know. I mean, who doesn't want special powers?"

Kat shrugs, "I'm not sure what I can do yet, Matt… but I have done two things that I can think of." Kat watches her friends' expressions closely but sees only excitement and joy in Matt's demeanor and thoughtful kindness in Cal's pleasant features, so she continues, "The first was last night, and I'm not sure what I did. I was sitting on my bed and the next thing I knew, my dragon –you know, the one dad got for me last Christmas –was floating in the air and _melting_! That thing is solid iron, and it was melting like that candle wax we put over the open flame when we went camping! It was really freaky. The bad part is I still don't know what I did."

Cal nods, "Wow! That must have been scary. What did you do? I know that I would've freaked if something like that happened to me…. But wait," Cal's brow creases in thought again, "you said there was another thing you did, didn't you?"

Kat turns crimson in embarrassment, "Yeah… I soaked the Blood Brother with an out of control water fountain today…" She drifts into silence, not sure how her friends with take this news.

Cal asks incredulously, "That was you!" Kat just nods.

Matt starts to laugh uncontrollably, claps Kat on the back, and says, "Kat, you saved our butts with that trick today! These powers of yours are awesome!"

Cal snickers a little as she recalls the earlier scene, "Yeah, what you did in the hallway was cool, but if you can't control it, couldn't someone be hurt?"

Kat looks relieved that someone else sees the danger, "Yes, they could. That's why I wanted to tell you guys. I think you should stay away from me for a few days… maybe even longer, until I get this figured out."

Matt's eyes go wide enough that Kat is afraid they'll pop out of his head, "But we could help!"

Kat shakes her head, "No offence, man, but I think it's safer if you don't. I don't want anything to happen to you if my powers go off again."

Cal pipes up, "She's right, Matt… But, Kat, don't forget that we _are _your friends, an-"

"Mary, where are you? We have to get going if we're going to make the mall before all the after-school traffic," Cal is cut off by James' voice calling from the parking lot.

Kat smiles weakly at her friends, "Hey, I know you'll be there for me, guys, but I gotta go before Dad starts to worry. Catch ya lata."

"Lata!" Cal and Matt chime together.

_That went better than I thought it would,_ Kat thinks absently as she heads toward James. _Now, all I have to do is figure out how to tell my folks,_ Kat hugs James and asks, "How was work, dad? Did your rehearsal go as well as Mr. Pip wanted it to?"

James eyes Kat critically, not missing a thing, "What's bugging you, Mary. You look worried. Did something happen in school today that you want to talk about?"

Kat shrugs, "What do you mean? It was school, same old, same old. What about you?"

James nods, even though he knows Kat isn't telling him something, "It went pretty well. Mr. Pip has confidence that we will be ready for the show Friday night, and you know how he gets when he's excited."

Kat laughs, momentarily forgetting about her problem, "You'll be brilliant, Dad. You always are… Is mom coming with us to the mall?"

James sighs, "No, she had a meeting with her publisher to go to." He sees Kat's face fall a little, "But maybe she'll get out of her meeting early and meet us there. She has been known to do that from time to time." James grins and clips Kat's chin with his hand, "Let's get going, shall we, Mary?"

Kat dashes for the car and launches herself into the passenger's seat, "What's taking you so long, dad!"

James chuckles and climbs in behind the steering wheel, "Seat-belt, Mary." Kat latches her seat-belt, and he starts the vehicle. Kat is soon brooding on her powers again, and the whole way to the mall, she tries different scenarios in her mind to figure out how to tell her dad about her powers. _I can't just blurt it out with no warning… Well, I could, but I'd probably give dad a heart-attack. Maybe I should tell him before we even get there, but then he might freak and call mom out of her meeting… she's been waiting for this deal a long time… no matter what, I don't want to mess up my parents' lives!_ Kat's thoughts turn rather dark as she thinks of all the stories she's heard of mutants that hurt or killed their parents. _That would be just my kind of luck to end up with my parents, who are such great people, killed by the horrible powers of their idiot daughter._

Kat and James go into the mall and look around. Kat insists on stopping to look at the book store for almost an hour before she lets James drag her into the music store to look at a new violin for her. Kat scowls at the dreaded instrument, "You want me to play _that_! Come on, dad, I can't even play the clarinet that grandma gave me four years ago! There is no way that I'm playing that thing."

James says reasonably, "Yes, but I play the violin, so I could give you the lessons this time, Mary… That way you'd actually practice it!"

Kat shakes her head stubbornly, "Nope, not happenin', dad. I'm tone-deaf anyway, so it wouldn't be worth the effort."

It's James' turn to scowl, "You are not tone-deaf, Mary! If you would just apply yourself, you would do very well! Now, we are going to get it for you for your birthday, and you will play it! That is final, young lady." They both leave the music store in a touchy mood. Kat mutters to herself as they walk toward the food court to grab something to eat. Then she sees the Pretty Pets, PP, off to her side and decides to press her luck a little.

She smiles at James and says in her most innocent voice, "Can we stop at PP, daddy… Please? I won't say another word about the violin, I promise!"

James starts to say no, but Kat gives him one of her pleading looks. He sighs and breaks down, "Fine, we can go in, but we aren't getting a pet, so I don't know why you insist on torturing yourself like this."

Kat smiles winningly as they enter the PP, "Thanks, dad!"

Kat immediately starts fussing over the kittens for sale and the cats for adoption. James sighs as he sees this, knowing that when her birthday comes and she doesn't get a cat, Kat will be disappointed again. Kat smiles tenderly as she picks up one of the smaller kittens, _Aren't you just the sweetest little thing? I wish they'd get me you for my birthday, instead of that awful violin._ Kat thinks scornfully, _At least, you wouldn't make me disappoint them by proving that I suck as a musician. Besides, you're so loving and cute!_

Kat rubs the kitten's tummy and delights in its purring. As she loses herself in the pure joy of having such a pleasant creature near her, Kat gets a feeling in the back of her mind like she's floating. Suddenly she sees flashes of color and pictures of people above her. Kat panics a little at first, then as she realizes that she is seeing things in the cat's mind, she completely freaks.

Kat puts the kitten back in the box that it had been in and stubbles away from it holding her head. She hears noise all around her but that only frightens her more. Something appears in front of her face, and Kat grabs for something to push it away with. She surrounds herself in a protective cocoon of water to keep out all the noise, but somehow she knows how to do so with out suffocating or drowning herself in the process.

James, oblivious to what is happening in Kat's mind, hears the cats meowing frantically and sees Kat stumbling with her head in her hands. He grabs her hands and looks into her face, "Mary? Mary? Mary, can you hear me! What's wrong!" James stumbles away from Kat as water comes cascading toward him from the fountain right outside PP. He watches helplessly as Kat is pulled into a sphere of swirling water.

Elsewhere, Megan is just entering the mall on her way to surprise Kat and James as she hears screaming coming from the second floor close to the food court. She breaks into a run to see what all the commotion is about, and arrives just in time to witness Kat's little episode. Megan forces herself to stay calm and reach for her own powers. She easily takes control of the water from Kat who is too inexperienced to put up a fight. Megan parts the water around her daughter and takes Kat into her arms as she whispers, "I'm so sorry, my little girl. I should've warned you." Kat finally manages to get control of herself and shut off her powers, but she huddles in her mother's arms, afraid that she'll do more harm if she so much as moves wrong. James comes over to Megan and Kat before everyone else can get their wits back enough to realize what happened.

He starts to guide them toward the mall entrances, "Megan, we have to get you and Mary out of here before someone calls in the authorities… we both know how they treat mutants."

Megan nods and pulls Kat along with her toward her car as James gets into his car for the drive home. Megan gets Kat to sit in the car and gets in to drive home, "M. Kat, everything is gonna be okay, babe."

"No, it's not, mom," Kat presses on her temples as she tries to focus on her own thoughts and what her mom is saying.

"Yes, it will. I'll help you learn to control your powers… I have them too."

"You're a mutant too! Why didn't you tell me that you are a mutant, mom?" Kat turns to her mother.

"I didn't think that you would get my powers… I've only heard of mutants that get their father's powers… and it wasn't important that I have the power to control water."

Huffing in frustration at her mother, Kat forces her mind to ignore the pictures and feelings that keep poring into her from the squirrels and other creatures nearby, "Great, you didn't think it was important to tell me that I might be a mutant… let alone, that you can control water and read the thoughts of animals…"

"Thoughts of animals?… I can't hear any thoughts but my own, Mary-Kathryn… which means you have more than just my power…" Shaking her head in denial, Megan thinks about everything Xavier told her about mutants and their powers, "How could she have two powers that are so different? Maybe I should call Xavier… he'll know how to handle this…"

Kat loses her focus as Megan gets side-tracked. Scenes flash thought her mind as Kat leans against the car door. Sometimes, she is a squirrel running across tree branches headed for the safety of her den; others, she is an ally cat chasing a rat for her supper. As the car picks up speed, the scenes in Kat's mind are soon flashing too fast for her to follow and she groans at the pain in her head. Mercifully, Kat finally loses consciousness after five minutes of this pure mental torture.

Kat wakes up to the sound of her parents talking. Groggy and disoriented, she opens her eyes, not on the familiar surroundings of her bedroom but instead on what seems to be the living room. It takes her sluggish mind a few moments to process this as she sits up and wonders why it hurts to think.

"I wish there was another way, James, but I think Xavier is gonna have to deal with this one… I can't teach her how to use powers that I don't have!" Megan's voice cuts through the haze that is Kat's thoughts.

"I think there may be another way, Megan… just hear me out on this. I went out earlier to see what is being said about the mall incident, and I found a group there that said they'd like to find the mutants before the authorities do." James' voice takes on an excited edge, "I listened to them and heard them say that they help young mutants learn to use their powers… and they must know a bit about it because they know that there were two mutants and that one of them knew what they were doing…"

Megan sounds concerned, "But who are these people, James? Were you able to find that out?"

"No, but I am trying to find out under the guise of being fearful for my life with rampant mutants running around."

"Alright, if what you come up with is positive, it would be better for Mary-Kathryn to not have to deal with my past…" Kat moans as she tries to focus what her mom is saying, and Megan falls silent for a moment to go check on Kat. Megan sits on the couch beside Kat's legs and asks, "M. Kat, how are you feeling?"

Kat brings her hand to her forehead, "My head _really_ hurts, mom… I had the weirdest dream… I was all these different animals, and it seemed so real…"

Megan tries not to scare Kat as she explains, "I don't think that was a dream, M. Kat… You were telling me about it before you passed out, so I'm pretty sure you have some telepathic abilities."

Kat's mind is still not completely clear, so it takes a moment or two for what her mom says to sink in. Once the meaning of her mom's explanation gets through, Kat groans in misery, "But that means that I can hear the thoughts of animals –maybe even people! I don't want to hear what everyone else is thinking, mom!" Kat's voice trembles with desperation, "And if that wasn't a dream, then the incident at the mall wasn't either, was it?"

Megan tilts Kat's head up to look into Kat's eyes, "No, it wasn't, Mary-Kathryn. I'm sorry that you had to find out about your powers like that… but I never dreamed that you would get my powers… mothers usually don't pass on the mutant gene to their children… although, I figured that you would be a mutant… since your father was…"

Kat shakes her head, not sure if she heard Megan right, "Dad is a mutant too… then why didn't he do anything at the mall… I'm really confused…"

Megan sighs and grimaces as she tells her daughter, "James isn't a mutant, Mary Kathryn. He's a human; that is why he didn't do anything at the mall… I know that only confuses you more, but right now, I won't explain further… I don't think you could handle that right now… not with everything else that has happened to you." Kat's eyes are beginning to drift shut. "Why don't you get to bed now, M. Kat? You've had enough excitement for one day, and if you are feeling better by morning, you may go to school… but for now just get some rest."

Kat yawns and nods, "Yeah, I think that sounds good…" Kat heads to her room, gets out her night gown, and sits on her bed to take off her shoes, but before she can even get her second shoe off completely, she is sound asleep against the headboard.

Megan enters Kat's room twenty minutes later. Megan shakes her head as she lays Kat down on the bed properly, pulls off the second shoe that never made it off the foot, and covers Kat with a blanket from the foot of the bed. Before turning off then lights, Megan whispers to her sleeping daughter, "Everything will be sorted out soon… and if all goes well, you will never have to deal with my past…or your real father."

Megan goes back down-stairs and into the kitchen where James is sitting at the table with a steaming cup of coffee. She sits across from James with a tired sigh, "She is sleeping… I told her a few things and almost told her about Magneto."

"Almost… but you didn't, I take it, Dear?" James stands up and gets Megan a cup of coffee. He sets the mug in front of her and says, "It is about time she knows about him, Meg. She needs to know in case he would ever find out about her. Mary could be in a good bit of danger from her father should he discover her unprepared… once we know what we're doing for sure, then we should tell Mary the truth about him. I agree that it isn't the right time at the moment, but it will have to come out sooner or later."

Megan nods, "Your right, Jim… but I just don't know if I can bear ripping her world apart like that… she'll be devastated!" Megan stares into her coffee cup for a few moments. She stands up and runs the coffee down the kitchen sink, "I'm going to bed. Are you coming, Jim?"

James nods and follows Megan to the sink, "Yeah, I'm coming, Meg. Just give me a second to turn off this coffee pot, and I'll be up."

A few days pass before Kat hears anything at school about the Mall incident. Kat is walking down the hall on her way to class. There is a group of kids standing in the middle of the hallway and as Kat passes them, she catches tidbits of their conversation, "…fountain erupted and wrapped around the girl... didn't manage… get any footage… the girl's face…" Kat gulps and hurries past, trying not to panic. She wondered briefly what those kids would think of the mutant being one of them. She almost sprints to get into the safety of her science class.

Kat's science class is not as safe as she would have hoped, though, for most of the class period is spent in a detailed discussion of how mutants are caused by changes in the DNA. Kat loathes every word of the discussion and barely makes if through the class without telling off the students that are taking the opportunity to make a mockery of mutants. She struggles to keep her attention on her work, but manages to not attract her teacher's attention to her distraction.

The rest of her school day is better but not by much. Kat is continually haunted by the anti-mutant comments she hears in the halls and in classes. When the final bell rings, she is so relieved that she almost runs out of the school. Matt and Cal catch her just as she is leaving, and Cal asks, "Hey, Kat, why have you been avoiding us all day?"

"Yeah," Matt almost knocks Kat over in his rush to get to her side, "You didn't even wait for me after science! I had to walk to art alone!... What's up with you?"

Kat stops in her tracks, "What… I didn't realize I was… sorry, guys." Kat smiles at Matt, "What makes you think that something's up, Matt? I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Really? Like what?" Matt prods with enthusiasm.

Kat shrugs, "Oh, nothing… just mutant stuff… I gotta go. Lata, guys!" Kat waves and runs off before Matt or Cal can ask anything else.

"That was odd." Cal observes, "You have more classes with her, Matt… so keep an eye on her, would ya?"

"Yeah, that was odd… Will do, Cal, lata." Mat leaves Cal to head home as he does the same.

Kat is relieved that she gets away from her friends before she gets prodded into spilling what happened at the Mall. Kat is glad when she sees her mother waiting for her; it makes her rushing off on her friends look legitimate. Kat waves and lengthens her stride, "Hey, mom. How was your day?"

Megan practically beams, "It was good… James and I have great news, M-Kat." Megan pauses and waits for Kat to ask what the news is. Kat just shrugs, and Megan finally says, "What don't you want to know?"

Kat's interest is caught by the hyper under tone of her mother's voice, "What great news, mom?"

Megan gives Kat a mischievous smile, "You have to wait until we get home to find out!"

Kat is quite indignant, "Now, that isn't fair, mom!"

Megan slides down into the car with a triumphant laugh, "You poor thing."

Kat glares at her mother for a moment, "You are a pain some times, mom… do you know that?"

Megan shrugs and starts the car, "I try, dear." They pass a few moments in silence as Megan drives them home.

Kat pleads, "Please, tell me, mom? PLEASE?"

Megan chuckles, thoroughly enjoying herself, "Well…" She pauses as if considering it, "Nope!"

Kat crosses her arms and huffs, "Fine, then!" As soon as they pull in the drive way, Kat is out of her seatbelt and bounding out of the car, "I'll get dad to tell me, since you won't!"

Megan gets out of the car, "Oh, will you now? You have to get to him first, dear!" Megan races after Kat and over-takes her just as they reach the front door.

James comes out to meet them, "Meg, you are as bad as Mary sometimes!" James hugs Kat and says to her, "Guess what, Mary?... you are going to a new school… with other mutants!"

Kat freezes for a moment, while her stunned mind tries to process this information, "A new school?... but… why?"

Megan ushers them both inside, "So you can learn to use your powers properly in a safe place, M-Kat."

Kat blinks slowly, "Oh… I guess that is a good thing… but what about my friends here?" Kat blurts, "I don't want to leave them…"

Megan wraps an arm around Kat's shoulders, "I know you don't want to leave your friends, but it will only be until you get your powers under control, so in a year or so, at the most, you'll be back here."

Kat sighs, "Alright… when do I leave?"

James kneels down to hug Kat reassuringly, "Friday, Mary."

"FRIDAY!" The word comes out as a screech, "That's tomorrow, dad!"

"I know, Mary… you better get packing so you're ready." James sends Mary off with this chipper message. He turns to Megan as soon as Kat is out of hearing-range, "You think this is the right thing to do, Meg?"

Megan nods gravely, "It is what's best for our daughter, James… and as soon as she gets home, we will tell her about Eric."

"Of course… he won't find her at this school, so no need to worry about him." James' wraps his arm around Megan's waist and they both sit down.


	2. Wedding Bells?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Professor Charles Xavier or his 'school for the gifted.' All else is mine… especially LABB! evil laughter**

Three years have passed since Kat entered the Learning Administration Borough of Banquill(LABB). Kat scuttles through the pitch-black tunnel silently, this is her one chance to escape, and she isn't going to ruin it by being careless, _They've given me the training of a covert-spy, so I might as well make use of it_. Kat carefully breathes as silently as possible and avoids the periodic lights in the tunnel. Kat freezes as she picks up the sound of a boot scraping along the floor. She ducks into the shadows just as a LABB guard walks past her hiding place. Kat stays perfectly still as she listens to the guard's retreating foot-steps, then she steps out of the full shadows and into a partially lit section of tunnel.

Kat relies heavily on her LABB training to keep from panicking and help her find her way as she darts into another pitch-black area. Kat reaches out with her powers to locate the walls, and smiles to herself, not for the first time thinking,_ It is so nice to have tunnels lined in steel for a mutant of magnetism to find her way through._ Time seems to move slowly as Kat trudges onward through the dark with only her own thoughts as company, _I wonder what my parents will think when they see me… will they even want to help? Mom should; she is a mutant too… but dad is human… what if he KNEW what was happening in LABB?_ Her distraction causes her to kick up some dust, and she sneezes before she can cover her mouth to muffle the sound. The sneeze echoes down the tunnel, _Uh oh… I better get out of here before that reaches that guard that passed me earlier!_

Kat decides that now would be a good time to stop reserving her strength by not using her powers for anything drastic. She lifts the piece of steel flooring that she is standing on and magnetizes it. She also creates a magnetic track of sorts from the tunnel walls and floor and, using this, projects her platform down the tunnel.

She hears the guard's running foot-steps coming her way just as the echo finally dies away. Kat panics only a little, but it is enough for her to increase her speed to dangerous levels. She doesn't worry about the speed she travels, only about whether the guard can catch her, and as the tunnel reduces to a continuous blur in her sight and the guard's feeble calls of "Halt!" lose themselves in the rush of air to her ears, Kat feels some relief.

She slows her platform to a halt when she spots the end of the tunnel. Grateful that the night is clear and the moon is bright, she leaps to the ground and demagnetizes the tunnel again, _That was close… too close. I hope Glowing-Hands is out and waiting at that apartment for me… this could be a LONG night otherwise._

James walks into the house wondering to himself, _Wonder what Mary is doing at her school... The reports are good, but she hasn't written in ages. _Just then James stops abruptly in his tracks as he catches sight of Kat standing in the family room.

Kat smiles tightly, "Hi, dad. I have a favor to ask you, since you ruined my life... I need you to try to 'fix' it."

James blinks and tries to make sense of Kat's words, "What do you mean 'ruined' your life?... isn't the training going well?... They just sent a report that said you were doing great..."

Her smile turns rather sadistic as Kat answers, "Of course, things are just _peachy_ with all the brainwashing that the LABB was trying to put me through... Dad, it's not really your fault, they fooled you, but now I need you to get me out, before something terrible happens."

James shakes his head, "Terrible?... I don't understand..." Kat hands him a stack of papers, "What are these... no, this can't be..."

Kat laughs bitterly, "It can and it is, dad. They are in the process of sending that petition through the courts as we speak."

James reads through the papers twice then glances through again as he speaks, "Why would they petition for you to be declared mentally incompetent... wouldn't that mean that you'd be in their care longer?"

Kat sighs and rolls her eyes, "Duh! If I'm mentally incompetent then I won't become a legal adult... and then they can legally keep me as long as they choose because of the papers you signed." James shakes his head, still not understanding completely. Kat looks to the hallway behind her, "Will you explain this to him!... I'm getting nowhere fast, Glowing-hands."

A young man in a long buck-skin colored trench coat steps in from the hallway, "You were doing fine, pet, but if you insist, I'll try to explain things further."

James looks at the young man with raised eyebrows, "Did you just call my daughter 'pet'?... and you're... Glowing-hands!... Mary, what is going on here?"

Glowing-hands steps forward, "My name is Alexander Reynolds, I have been Mary-Kathryn's Handler for the past three years that she has been in training at the LABB, Mr. Donovan."

"Wait. You're part of the LABB and you're here to tell me that there is a problem with the LABB trying to brainwash my daughter!" James gives Alexander a look that clearly says _I don't believe a word you just said_. Kat glares at James for a second and he asks, "I'm supposed to believe this?"

Alexander asks, "Please just hear me out, sir… It will all make sense in a moment."

James sighs, "Fine, I have nothing better to do at the moment."

Alexander nods and sits down on the sofa. When Kat follows suit, James does also, and Alexander starts his story, "When Kat first came to LABB, you were told that she would be working with specially trained humans and other mutants to learn to control her powers. But the reality is that there are no free mutants there. All the mutants that are there are mutants like Kat that are there to be trained... and the training isn't to control their powers, but more to use their powers as weapons.

"Once they have the mutants trained and brainwashed into obedience, the LABB wishes to use these individuals as a private army... for what purpose, I still haven't determined, but I'm sure it isn't good for those involved."

As he is cut off from interjecting, James glares at Kat. Alexander continues, "I and the other Handlers are all supposed to be highly trained humans that have experience controlling and subduing unruly mutants, BUT... I am not a human, I'm a mutant... a healer with a small telepathic ability. I heard about the LABB a few years ago and decided to see what it was... and since being hired there, I have been working to counter the brainwashing effects on the 'students'... with the eventual goal of setting them free."

James asks uncertainly, "Okay, so if that is true why are you here now?... shouldn't you be trying to help mutants escape?"

Kat cringes at that question, and Alexander gets a pained expression on his face, "Kat and I both would still be back there working to get others out, if this legal matter hadn't come up... you see, you are the only family that the LABB has gotten to sign those papers... and Kat happens to be a very powerful mutant... if they get that through the courts, she will be at their mercy for the rest of her life... and I may get caught eventually, so who can tell what horrors await Kat at the hands of a different Handler?"

Alexander trails off and glances at Kat, so James asks the obvious question, "What has to be done?"

Kat tries to meet James' gaze, but ends up looking at his feet instead as she answers him, "I have to be declared a legal adult before the petition goes through... but with the petition in the court system already, no judge is going to grant me that right even if you sign for it... that leaves one option..."

James prompts after a few moments, "And that is?"

Kat looks anywhere BUT at James, "Umm... I... I... I have to get... well... umm... married actually..."

James looks at his daughter in surprise but recovers quickly, "WHAT?... Well, that does make sense, but how... I mean, I have to sign for it... and that will make you a legal adult, but who... will you marry?"

Kat glances to Alexander before she says, "The only person I can trust at the moment is Alexander... so I talked him into coming here with me..."

James asks calmly and a little coldly, "How old is Mr. Renolds, may I ask?"

Kat smirks, "That one is YOURS to answer, Glowing-hands..."

Alexander laughs at Kat's expression and says nonchalantly, "My twenty-seventh birthday is in a week."

James holds his calm expression with great difficulty, "He is TEN years older than you, Mary-Kathryn... I don't like this ONE bit… but as you have pointed out, there is no other way and not enough time to find someone else... without having to explain everything to them... fine. We'll have to go down to the courthouse in the morning to make the arrangements..."

Alexander holds James' gaze, "If you want to do this the smart way, we'll go down tonight before the court house closes and sign all the papers... because I'm pretty sure that Kat is being searched for as we speak."

James says, "We have to wait for the papers to come and the license afterwar-"

Alexander cuts in, "I have all of that waiting for us... I have some connections that will make sure that everything is legal and goes through TONIGHT."

James caves, "Okay, then let's go... but we should have Megan's signature as well for this to be legal..."

Kat nods, "Yes, but we have it already... we have both your signatures in case we didn't catch one of you... they only have to see ONE of you sign the papers for it to be legal, so we'll just use the ones that have mom's signature on them... and don't ask how we got the signatures... you really don't want to know..."

James gets up and grabs his coat that he had left on the chair when he sat down, "Then let's go... I don't want anything to happen to you, Mary... but I ask that this marriage be in name-only... at least until your older, Mary."

Kat chuckles, "I promise nothing... but we are planning on heading different directions as soon as we're hitched, dad."

James nods, knowing that they don't have any time to waste on details, like Kat's virginity, when her life is at stake.

A quick dash to the car and a short drive downtown takes the three of them to the Court House doors. Alexander is the first one through to scout it out in case of LABB members, just to be safe. Kat and James follow quickly when it's clear.

Once inside they are met by a young officer that seems to have been waiting for them. She waves for them to follow her and once they are escorted into the presence of the Justice of the Peace, she leaves them. Alexander is the last to sign and as he does so, he tells Kat, "You can still back out you know... and find someone else..."

Kat's expression tells that this isn't a new discussion, "I can trust you, you have a good personality, and I'm short on time, Alex... besides, you aren't that BAD looking either." Kat grins suggestively and shocks James.

Alexander puts pen to paper with an amused expression of his own and hands the papers to the Justice of the Peace. The Justice puts his own signature on them and his secretary signs them as she heads out the door with them, "I'll be right back, Alex... but remember, we ARE bending some rules here..."

Alex nods, "But not breaking any since everything will be done to the letter of the law..."

When the secretary comes back and hands them a copy of the license, Alex takes it and propels Kat out of the room, "Let's go... you have to get somewhere safe before they find your trail again."

James follows them and asks, "Mary, do you know some place safe to go?" Kat shakes her head, so James roots in his wallet and pulls out a slip of paper, "Go to this address... your mother wanted you to go here originally, but she had some old grudges with someone there... But they will help you regardless of that."

Kat reads the address, "A school for the gifted?... this is a mutant school, I take it?"

James nods, "The founder was a friend of your mother's... he'll help you... his name is Charles Xavier. If you have problems, you should ask to see him."

Kat nods, "Fine, dad, and thanks..." James gets in his car, and Alex escorts Kat down the street a ways. Kat prods, "Alex, don't forget to contact me when you have things ready... and make sure to leave yourself an out!"

Alex opens his mouth to reply, when gun fire starts off to their right with shouts of, "There she is... get her with the tranquillizers, but anyone else just kill... we don't want any eye-witnesses."

Kat takes off at a run as Alex disappears down a side street. Kat glances back in time to see James, who was getting out of his car again, get shot in the chest. Kat closes her eyes for a moment but knows that there is nothing she can do for him, and going back will only get her captured and caged like an animal. Kat manages to dodge into the local train station just as she hears Alex stalling the group with, "You idiots, I almost had her when you scared her off! You just undid at least a year of conditioning!"

Alex sends to Kat's mind, "Keep going... if you can jump a train now, they'll never catch you... make sure you go the opposite way before you head for that school... they don't think you're that smart..."

Kat jerks a nod to herself and pulls out the wad of money that Alex had slipped in her coat pocket. She approaches the teller calmly and purchases a ticket for a more southern town, even though she has to go north from where she is in Pennsylvania to get to the school that is in New York.

Kat walks steadily to the train and blends with the crowd. She gets a seat and slumps down in it as if she is going to sleep through the ride. Kat watches out the window through barely open eyes and sees no sign of her pursuers as the train pulls away from the station.

A few hours later, she wakes up at her stop and jumps on a bus headed to New York City. That way if they pick up her trail again the LABB will think she is looking for some of her mother's business partners. Kat lays low for a few days and then once she is sure that no one has managed to follow her, she catches the next train to Westchester.

Kat reaches Westchester with no problem, and decides not to take a chance on hiring a cab to take her from the station the school. Kat sneaks into the trees around the train station and calls a few animals to guide her to her destination. A big group of people in one building always calls the attention of animals, Kat thinks to herself with a smile. Kat sighs at the fact that she had to leave her cougars back at the LABB but manages to find a pack of wolves to help her on her trek through the woods.

It takes half a day to get to the school over the rough terrain that Kat is forced to travel over to avoid the roads, but once she arrives, it's not hard to get in. The gates are wide open on the school, _Mansion_, Kat corrects herself, _this place is HUGE!_

Kat returns her mind to the task at hand and sends her companions back to their territory as she enters that of people. Kat is careful how she approaches the front door, just in case someone is on guard in the evenings, but finds no resistance waiting for her. Kat knocks on the door and waits patiently as she scans the minds of animals on the grounds to get an idea about the personalities of their owners.

Kat hears footsteps approaching the door and catches a familiar scent. Kat disconnects herself from the animals' senses as the door opens. The door moves inward to reveal Kat's mother, Megan Donovan.


	3. No More Running

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men characters, but Kat and her family are MINE! As is the evil LABB… so DON'T touch glares menacingly**

Kat stands in utter shock at the sight of her mother standing in the mansion's doorway, _What is mom doing here? Dad gave me the address… but he… well… what is she doing here!_

Megan smiles in profound relief at the sight of Kat, "I am so glad you are alright, M. Kat!" Megan enfolds Kat in a big hug then practically pulls Kat inside. Megan thinks, _God, please let her NOT be hurt!_ While she guides Kat down the hall, Megan prods, "Did anything happen to you on your way here… you weren't hurt were you, dear?" Megan pauses, "M. Kat, have you heard a word I just said?" No answer comes from Kat, so Megan asks again, "You didn't get hurt did you?"

As she is lead inside, Kat's shock prevents her from understanding most of what Megan says. Kat snaps out of her shock at seeing her mother, "Huh… what… Oh, sorry… I'm fine, mom… just a little confused." Kat presses her lips together in a fine line and thinks, _Dad said that mom has connections here… and a past that he seemed to think wasn't good, so why would she be here now? Did she know dad would send me here… or maybe dad is here too… but he was shot…_ Kat can't hold in all her questions anymore, "Mom, what… why are you here… and where is dad?" Megan's face falls and she looks away. Kat asks plaintively, "He's going to be alright, isn't he?"

_How do I tell her this? How can I tell my little girl that her father… well, the only father she knew… is dead?_ Megan's voice almost breaks as she answers, "No…your father… I mean James…" Megan almost sobs and forces out the words, "He's dead…" She wipes a few tears from her eyes, "And… LABB sent a representative three days ago…" Anger replaces Megan's grief, "She came to tell me that YOU killed James while they were trying to 'detain' you."

"WHAT!" Kat snaps her head around to look at Megan, "I did NOT… those lying, deceitful…" Her voice falls to a low whisper, "You don't think I did that, do you?"

Megan laughs mirthlessly, "Of course not… I talked to James at the hospital before he died. He didn't get to say much because he was unconscious most of the time, but he did manage to tell me that the LABB was behind all this… said they were trying to make a mutant army… He told me some of what happened before he was shot, but he didn't explain how he 'saved' you. What did you do before the LABB showed up?"

Kat smiles but doesn't get a chance to answer as they enter an office and a male voice greets, "Welcome to Xavior's School for the Gifted, Mary-Kathryn." Kat whips her head around to gaze at the source of the voice and reaches for a knife. "I don't imagine that you will have any use for that, my dear." Kat focuses her attention on the bald man in the wheel-chair. She puzzles, _How can he know about my knife? He seems so harmless, but…he radiates power…Who is this guy?._ He smiles kindly at Kat, "I am Professor Charles Xavior, the proprietor of this school for mutants, such as ourselves."

Not completely willing to trust anyone, Kat raises an eyebrow at Xavior, "Who says I'm a mutant, Mr. Xavior? And even if I am, what does it matter to you?"

_What is she trying to do!_ Megan tries to excuse Kat's behavior, "Please don't mind her, Charles… she just learned of James' death… M. Kat, I told him about you and the LABB."

Kat rolls her eyes cockily, "Mom, no offence, but you don't know even a fraction of what the LABB was, is, or wants to be… and my father's death will, please, NOT be used as an excuse for my behavior. I have no reason to trust this man or his school, so I will act as I please… Now, _Chuck_. Would you be _so_ kind as to answer my earlier question?" Kat's mind is only half on the situation at hand, but she still tries to keep her distraction from those in the room, _Why does mom have to make excuses for me… even if she IS right about part of my forwardness._ Kat smiles in mock sweetness, "What does my being a mutant matter to _you_?"

"I am sorry to hear of James' death… I assume you didn't tell her then, Megan?" Xavior's smile turns a little grim at Megan's shake of her head but loses none of the kindness in his eyes as he answers the impatient Kat, "My school's purpose is to help young mutants to develop their gifts, and we try to protect them from those such as the LABB."

Kat turns away from Xavior's pitying gaze, _He seems truthful enough, and mom knows and trusts him… and I really don't have a choice in the matter anyway…_ Kat sighs and makes, for her, a hard decision, "If we had met under different circumstances, I would take the time to weigh your honesty, but, frankly I don't have that luxury at the moment… so I place my life in your hands, sir, but I can't promise to trust you completely as of yet."

Xavior nodded in understanding, "You are quite welcome to stay here as long as you need, Mary-Kathryn. You are tired, so I bid you goodnight. Megan will show you to a room, I trust."

Megan guided Kat out the door hurriedly, "Thank you, Charles… you are and always been a true friend." Megan stops abruptly as Kat won't leave just yet.

Kat turns to meet Charles' gaze, "Thank you for your hospitality, sir… and don't call me Mary-Kathryn… it's Kat, Chuck." She strolls out of the room without another word.

Xavior shakes his head, "She is much like her father, Megan… you best not wait too long to tell her. Eric would love turning her against you."

_How can I tell her? She'll hate me…_ Megan grimaces and sighs, "I know… but tearing my daughter's world apart is not easy for me, Charles." She heads out the door after Kat, and stops abruptly, "M. Kat, I'm sure you must be tired… We'll talk in the morning after you've had some sleep."

_What were they talking about, I wonder…who is Eric?_ Kat nods, but asks, "What is it that you haven't told me... who is Eric?"

"We'll talk about that in the morning, dear… now isn't the time." Megan pauses, _How much did she hear… or does she guess? _Megan walks down the hall and leaves Kat no choice but to follow.

Kat mutters but doesn't press Megan further. As they walk down the halls Kat picks up the sound of laughter from several rooms, but everyone seems to be turned in for the night. As soon as Megan shows Kat to a room, Kat closes the door and drops onto the bed, feeling safe in spite of her better judgment telling her not to trust anyone that hasn't proved their worth.

The next morning, Kat is up before the students and goes to explore the mansion a little closer, _This place is HUGE… _She wanders through the halls and eventually finds her way to the kitchen. She is surprised to hear movement from inside at this time on a Saturday morning, so she cautiously approaches the door. One of the individuals inside notes Kat's entrance even though his back is turned to her. He is a stocky, well-muscled man, not handsome but certainly not ugly either. The man whips around and grabs Kat as she sneaks up behind him. He growls in a deep gravelly voice, "You shouldn't sneak up on people, kid."

Kat pulls a knife and points it at the man's throat within two seconds, "You have a problem with me sneaking up on people, Buddy?" The blade doesn't waver from his throat as Kat tries to stare the man down.

He sniffs at her hand, grins, and lets her go, "Your Meg's kid." The way he says it is a statement not a question. Kat relaxes at his grin, and her knife disappears up her sleeve. He watches the knife curiously and looks Kat over, "What's a kid like you doing with a knife, anyway?"

_How does he know that Megan is my mom… wait, he sniffed my arm before he said that… He must have a powerful sense of smell and picked it up from my scent._ Kat blinks at him and shrugs, "_A_ knife? I don't have _a_ knife… I have twenty that I can think of off hand… and what do you care?" Kat extends her hand, "I can't say why, but I like you. I'm Kat, by the way. You can tell who my mom is by my scent, if I'm not mistaken… so you know her?"

The man seems to be measuring her, "A bit… she hasn't been here long… Name's Wolverine." He takes the offered hand.

Kat chuckles, "That isn't a name… but if you wish to be called by Wolverine, fine by me." She looks around to the other two people in the kitchen; one is another man, much better looking than Wolverine and certainly not as violently inclined, and the other is a dark-skinned woman, clearly of African decent, with snow white hair. Kat can tell that both these others have seen their share of fighting, but neither gives off the pure threatening presence of Wolverine.

The younger man asks cockily, "Hey, Wolverine, you got your hands full wit her, eh?"

The woman laughs and says, "Logan, please don't scare the poor girl. She has only just arrived last night."

"Ah, your name is Logan." Kat turns to the woman, "Logan does NOT scare me… and you are?"

The woman blinks and answers, "I am Ororo Munroe… or Storm if you prefer." Storm half extends her hand, but Kat makes no move to take it.

Kat nods curtly to Storm, "Nice to meet you Ororo." Kat turns her attention to the still unknown man, "What're you lookin' at?"

"Pardon, chere, I was no lookin a' an'thin." He answers with a bow.

Kat shakes her head and asks Logan, "Who's the Frenchman with the fancy manners?"

Logan doesn't answer because the "Frenchman" answers for himself, "Da name's Remy LeBeau… My friends call me Gambit."

Kat shrugs, "Well, I guess I better not call you Gambit then, Remy." Logan finds Kat's attitude a bit amusing, but Storm sees the deep distrust Kat has for everyone. Kat grabs an apple off the counter as she starts out the door, "This little 'chat' has been _just_ wonderful, I'm sure, but I training to do this morning." She abandons any hope of exploring the place further because she hears more movement of the adults in the building, _So much for scoping this place out… I'll have to get up earlier tomorrow… and hope mom does NOT plan to drag me to church. Last thing I need is to lose time, that could better be spent exploring this place or training, being preached at!_

As Kat heads for the door, Storm asks, "Why don't you join us for breakfast?"

Megan enters the kitchen and almost runs over Kat, "M. Kat, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Kat holds the apple aloft, "No thanks, Ororo. I have all I can keep down before morning training… Oh, sorry, mom. I'm just going to put the morning to good use… never too early to get in a good training session. Lata!" Kat slipped out the door before Megan could ask anything further.

Logan catches Megan's distressed look, "Not very social, is she? She always like that?"

Megan shakes her head, "No, she never used to be like that. She was a little shy sometimes, true, but she made friends with just about everybody… James and I noticed a change when we visited her at LABB… but now I wonder just how much damage was done to my little girl!"

Hank McCoy is going over his latest experiment when he feels that he is no longer alone. He sniffs the air and finds a distinctly female scent to it, and a slightly familiar one at that. Kat watches from behind as the blue creature works with something while hanging upside down. She is puzzled how he manages to mix the lab chemicals he has in his hands when he is even reading the labels the wrong way round. She jumps as Hank comments without looking, "If you wish to watch, you might want to come closer. The lighting is rather bad from just there." Kat backs away slowly and silently, hoping that he will not turn around before she can get out of the room, but luck is not with her. Hank senses the retreat of the figure behind him, "Please don't leave. I did not mean to startle you, dear."

Kat realizes that she better come up with an excuse fast, "I'm very sorry… I did not mean to disturb your work, sir."

Hank motions for her to come forward, "Not at all. I find it quite pleasant to have another here who is interested in the wonders of science."

"Oh, really? You would figure that in a place with a lab this big; it'd be so full of 'lab nuts' that you'd be sick of it." Kat steps forward and curiously gazes at the test tubes on the table, "Mixing those two chemicals will release blue smoke, won't it?"

Hank is a little taken aback by Kat's hostile tone of voice when she says "lab nuts," and he says, "Alas, in this institute, there are not many 'lab nuts,' as you call them… Yes, that is one of the usual results of this reaction."

Kat starts for the door again, "I think I better get out of here before you set off the sprinklers with that."

Hank laughs, "I don't believe you have to worry about that happening, but I bid you farewell… wait, I don't believe I heard your name. I'm Hank McCoy… they call me Beast."

"That's 'cuz I didn't say it." Kat slips out the door and throws over her shoulder, "I'm Kat." She is amazed by the ease of settling into life here and especially at how she can trust even those like Hank, who remind her of the LABB.


	4. The Call to Action

**Disclaimer: The X-men, Xavier, and all things from the X-men comics/movies are not mine. I do however retain the rights to LABB, Kat, and Megan… if you want to fight me for them, I will destroy you.**

Kat wipes the thin sheen of sweat off her brow as her body slides through the fighting stances and maneuvers again. She falls when she does a rotating jump kick, but this only makes her push herself harder. Kat falls a second time, _Drat it all! I know I can do this! I have done it before… There we go._ Finally landing the troublesome maneuver, Kat jumps at the mental message she receives without warning.

"_Kat, pet, I am glad you have been keeping up training… you are going to need it when you get here. I have everything in place for the evacuation… including the un-programming I had to do on the minds of most of these mutants." _Alexander's mental tone is not exactly cheery and comforting, some might even call it strained and sadistic, but Kat wouldn't have it any other way.

Kat hides her relief at hearing from Alex behind a show of annoyance,_ "Alright, what's the big idea with completely ignoring me for the past two months, then outta the blue, you gotta pop inta my mind –without any proper warning –for a word with me! I'm trying ta train here, Glowing-hands!"_

"_Sorry, pet, I didn't mean to interrupt, but I need you here today, if at all possible. Critter is on his way there to get you… I sent him out on a 'capture' mission two weeks ago, so he should be there soon. You will have to find a way to get here faster than that, though." _Alex takes on a more humored mental tone as he imagines any number of ways Kat could find for fast transport, _"Oh, and don't forget to drop that accent of yours when you return. We don't want the guards to get suspicious."_

Kat nods even though she knows he can't see it, _"I'm on it… I'm sure I can find something that will work… and the accent will be gone in no time."_ She snatches up her knives off a nearby bench, packs her water-bottle away in its insulated pouch, and rushes into the mansion. A young woman, only a few years older than Kat, sports an identifying white streak down the front of her brunette hair. This woman is standing outside one of the mansion's classrooms. She sees Kat running down the hall, "Hey, Kat, class starts in ten minutes. You better hurry up getting changed!"

Kat laughs and hurries on, "Don't worry about me, Rogue, because I'm not going to class today." She looks over her shoulder to continue talking to Rogue, "If anybody asks, I will be back ASAP… and with company." Kat doesn't get to say anything else because she runs into someone. Kat pales when she sees the middle-aged, handsome man in front of her.

He readjusts his sunglasses and crosses his arms, "You're cutting class? I think Megan will have something to say about that, Mary-Kathryn."

Kat groans mentally, and covers with a cocky tone, "What do you care if I am cutting class, Cyclops? I am on my way to see mom right now, so mind your own business, would you?" Kat glares down her nose at Cyclops, _I hope he doesn't call my bluff… mom won't agree to what I have in mind if I have to explain everything…_

Just as Cyclops opens his mouth to say something, Megan speaks up from behind him, "Scott, is there a problem?" Cyclops shakes his head and Megan smiles as she continues to Kat, "What do you want to talk to me about, M. Kat?"

Kat leads her mother away from Cyclops before saying, "I need a favor, mom… Can I use your motorcycle today… and maybe a little longer… I have to go help out some friends."

Megan raises an eyebrow, "My motorcycle? Absolutely not! I am not going to have you out on my motorcycle… it's a dangerous machine, M. Kat!" Kat starts to make an appeal, but Megan just crosses her arms and states firmly, "It is out of the question, M. Kat. You are not taking my motorcycle anywhere… and you should be getting to class anyway."

Kat sighs, "This is more important than class, mom… People's lives could be on the line… but FINE, I won't take YOUR motorcycle… anyway, I gotta go change clothes."

At Kat's words, Megan assumes that Kat will be heading for class, but Megan does not know her daughter very well anymore. Kat showers and puts on fresh clothes, before taking the time to think about another way out, _Well, mom only said I couldn't take HER motorcycle… so I will just have to borrow Logan's bike… and I know better than to ask him. He won't just hand over his bike to me, so I better find a way to distract him, while I remove it from the garage._ Thus decided on her basic plan of action, Kat heads down and ignores the late bell that rings overhead, _Not like it matters when you aren't going to class anyway._ Kat grins to herself and heads out the front door.

"Someone-seems-happy-Kat… Ready-to-go-back-with-Critter-now?" the hyper almost impossible to follow words do not seem out of place to Kat. She nods to the brown/grey, fur-covered male that had been hiding in one of the school shrubs. He jumps up and starts bouncing around her, "Goody-goody-goody. We-go-to-GlowingHands-now!"

Kat shakes her head, "Not quite yet, Critter… we need to get a vehicle first, and that requires your help." Critter pauses in his bouncing to listen to what Kat has to say, and she continues, "I need you to act as a distraction." Kat spots Logan standing with Megan in the yard not too far away, so Kat points to Logan as she continues, "See that man over there? I want you to distract him… and the woman he is with. Go, distract, now." Critter gives a little salute with an idiotic grin and bounds away toward Logan and Megan as Kat slips away to the Mansion's garage.

Critter scurries up to Logan, just stares at Logan for a moment, and then hops up and down in front of Logan. Logan glares at Critter in annoyance, "What is your problem, bub?"

Critter laughs squirrelly and gets close to Logan's face to look at Logan's dog-tags, "Oo-shiny-shiny-shiny! Pretty-pretty-pretty-shiny… Shiny-mine!" Critter snaps the chain for the dog-tags and runs off with them, before Logan even realizes what's happening.

Logan gives a start and runs after Critter, "Get back here with those, you thing!" Megan laughs at the sight of Logan chasing after the fur-covered squirrel-man. Just as Logan is catching up to Critter, they all hear a motorcycle peeling out of the garage. Logan looks up toward the sound and swears when he spots Kat on his bike, "What the Hell! Kat!"

Kat slides to a stop in front of Logan and Critter, "Get on, Critter." Critter jumps on the back of the bike, and Kat looks at the dog-tags he has in his furry paw, "Critter, put them down!"

Critter pouts, "No! Shiny-mine!"

"Critter, NOW!"

"Yes, ma'am," Critter's speech slows to a normal speed as he looks hurt and drops Logan's dog-tags on the ground. Once Critter has his arms around her waist, Kat revs the engine and spins out through the Mansion gates. Logan scoops up his dog-tags and grabs Megan as she runs past him yelling, "M. KAT! GET BACK HERE!"

As he wipes his dog-tags on his shirt and holds onto Megan, Logan states, "She better not scratch my bike."

Megan whips around and practically screams at him, "YOUR BIKE! MY DAUGHTER JUST RAN OFF TO WHO KNOWS WHERE AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS THAT SHE BETTER NOT SCRATCH YOUR BIKE!"

He lets go of Megan and steps back from her wrath, "I ain't worried about her… She just better not scratch my bike." He puts his hands up defensively at the glare he gets from Megan, "That kid of yours can take care of herself, Meg."

Megan fumes, "NO, SHE CANNOT TAKE CARE OF HERSELF!" She steps back when she realizes that she has taken a hold of Logan's shirt front. She opens her fist with some difficulty but still looks livid as she states coolly, "I'm going after her." Megan stalks away toward the garage and her motorcycle within.

Logan trails after her and grabs her forearm, "Meg, how you gonna find her? You know where she was headed?"

"No… I don't…" Megan's face falls for a moment, before her mind comes across a solution, "Wait, I don't have to know where she went! Charles can find her for me!" She dashes inside and strolls purposefully to Xavier's office. She throws back his door forcefully and only spares a glace at the startled students inside, "Charles, I need your help… NOW."

Xavier looks up from the textbook he had been reading from a moment earlier. He does not have to read Megan's mind to know she is upset, even the students who have no telepathic abilities can tell that by the look of murder on her face. He turns his attention briefly back to his interrupted class, "You may all use this time to start reading the assignment in class. There will be a quiz on the material tomorrow, so be prepared." Xavier wheels his way into the hallway and Megan follows. She shuts the door behind them as Xavier asks calmly, "What happened, Megan?"

Megan scowls menacingly, "M. Kat just took off on Logan's bike with a mutant I don't recognize. I need to know where she is headed."

Xavier steeples his fingers in front of his face for a moment, "She is too far away at this point for me to find her without the help of Cerebro." He starts down the hall without another word.

Logan, who has been standing quietly to the side, says, "You don't seem surprised, Chuck."

Xavier shakes his head, "In truth, I have been expecting this for some time. I do not mean to alarm you, Megan, but Kat has been disappearing every morning, and many of them I am sure I sensed her searching telepathically for some presence. This morning I believe she found what she wished."

Megan growls in the back of her throat, "She has been hiding something from me? And you knew but DIDN'T tell me!"

Xavier leads the group into the basement laboratories, "Megan, if I had told you, do you think she would have willingly confided in you? I do not believe she would have. I was hoping that over time she would come to trust us enough to be open with us, especially about LABB."

Megan heaves a sigh and rubs at her temples, "I know she was being a little guarded, but I thought it was just from the shock of what happened… Charles, I have to go after her… what if she has gotten herself into trouble?" She stops as Xavier approaches the door to Cerebro, "No matter what you find, you will tell me, right, Charles?"

Xavier hesitates only a moment before answering, "Yes, Megan. I always have, have I not?" He takes one of Megan's hands in his for a moment and looks into her eyes, "You do not have to do this alone, Megan. My X-men and I can help if you let us." Megan only nods, and Xavier enters Cerebro.

Kat races down the road with unnatural speed, appearing as only a tiny streak to the police that she passes on her way. Before they can even think to give chase, she is out of sight again. Kat chuckles to herself as she guides the motorcycle with more than just her eyes, she uses her magnetic abilities to their fullest to keep Critter and herself in one piece as they speed toward the LABB facilities that Kat hates so much.

A mile before they reach the LABB community, Kat slows and stops the motorcycle at a motel, so Critter can ease his sore muscles. He goes ahead to report to Alex, while Kat goes to shower and change her cloths. After the ten hour motorcycle ride that she and Critter endured, she knows that she is anything but presentable. Kat takes her time showering, enjoying the sensation of hot water poring down over her. When she emerges from the motel room's tiny bathroom, she finds Alex waiting for her. Kat crosses her arms over her towel-covered chest, "I see your timing is as bad as always, Glowing-hands."

Alex shakes his head and tosses some cloths to Kat, "When are you going to stop turning your nose up at my 'timing'?" He nods to her, "At least this time you have something covering you…" He shrugs.

Kat tries to keep from laughing at Alex' play at non-concern over their earlier encounter, but she cant hold it in and starts snickering openly, "Like you don't wish this towel wasn't blocking your view, Alex!"

Alex shrugs indifferently, "You have been my student for these past few years…" His voice trails off to nothing, and he swallows forcefully at the sight before him. Kat throws her towel at Alex and starts pulling on the cloths he had given her. Once she is completely dressed, Kat takes out a box from Alex' bag and pulls from it an assortment of makeup. Alex finally finds his voice again, but it is much huskier than it had been, "That was…"

Kat cuts in, "That was what, Glowing-Hands?" She leans toward the mirror above the motel room's sink and applies a minute amount of compound to her face, "Don't say it was uncalled for or inappropriate because as far as the law is concerned, we are husband and wife in every sense…" She adds eye shadow and then lipstick to finish off the effect. "So that 'You're my student' crap doesn't count anymore." Kat turns away from the mirror and straitens her professional-looking blouse, "How do I look, Alex?"

Alex stands up stiffly, "Quite nice, Pet… but don't forget, our marriage was only a legal matter to keep you out of trouble… we are friends and partners, but we will be nothing more."

Kat nods grimly, "I know that, but if we are going to pull this stunt off today, we need to act like a LOT more than just 'friends and partners,' Alex." She sighs and smoothes her dress pants over her hips, "Now how do I look? Will they recognize me easily?"

"No, you look nothing like the simpering 'pet' mutant that I trained. You have self-possession, a bit of makeup, and decidedly feminine, but not sluttish, cloths. No one that looks at you will recognize you, at least not until it is too late." Alex moves toward the door, "I came here on LABB transport… so we will have to take that bike you borrowed to get back." He grins, "Don't worry, I have something for you to wear so you'll be presentable by the time we get there."

Kat rolls her eyes, "Oh, goody."

"Here." True to his word, Alex hands Kat a black trench coat. Her eyes light up as she pulls it on and follows him out the door. He briefs her on what to expect once they arrive, "Critter is already waiting at the exit to help keep order among the escapees, so all we have to do is get in, free the mutants, and get back out. I told my superiors that I am bringing my new wife to see the facility because you are interested in a job there. They were quite eager for the chance to add a woman to the team to deal with the worst case males, as you already know from what you saw inside. Now, all you have to do is smile and shake hands when I introduce you, and they should let us go on our way."

Alex looks back and Kat nods for him to continue, "As you also know, during Lock-down, which is when we will be arriving, all the Handlers and various other officials are all in the center of the facility. Only the patrol guards will be in the hallways, so if you can take out the cameras all at once with that magnetism of yours, I can trap our main threat inside their own fortifications."

Kat smiles warily, "And while you do that, I'm to take out all the guards who challenge a lone woman without ID wondering the Lock-down halls… I think not. Alex, if I can get near that center room, I can melt the doors to the posts. I'll also cover the windows with a metal layer while I'm shorting out the cameras. Then we can both proceed to the Lock-downs and I'll deal with the guards one-by-one while you are opening cells. I can create enough interference with magnetic fields to keep word from preceding our work."

Alex blinks and shakes his head with a slight grin, "Alright, so your way is better… that's what we'll do then. Come on, let's get going before they get suspicious of us being late." He throws his leg over the bike seat and straddles it, making his buckskin trench coat drapes down like a tan cape. Kat settles herself behind him and takes a moment to fasten the black trench coat around her waist. Once satisfied that her new coat is settled properly, Kat puts on her helmet and slips her arms around Alex' abdomen. Alex starts the motorcycle, pushes it upright, and kicks in the kickstand all in one swift motion.

Back at the Mansion, Megan is trying to hurry the X-men along, "Come on, by the time you are ready, my little girl could be hurt!"

Cyclops starts to say something but shuts his mouth at a glare and a whispered word from Storm, "Don't."

Megan continues to prod at Cyclops, Gambit, and a few of the other X-men, "Why did I agree to this? How is taking forever to leave helping my baby!"

Logan pulls Megan away from the others, "Calm down, babe. Chuck told us where she is and he wasn't too worried about 'er getting in 'ter trouble. So we must have some time."

"Since when has Charles been worried about anybody, Logan? This is MY baby we're talking about. I want her safe NOW, not a hundred years down the road!" Megan rants.

Just then the Cyclops comes over to them, "We're ready now. Shall we?"

Megan sighs, "It's about time!" Logan leads Megan onto the Blackbird while the Storm, Cyclops, Gambit, and the Beast are grabbing the last of their equipment. As they lift off, Megan sends out a prayer that they won't be too late.


	5. End of LABB

**Disclaimer: The X-men, Xavier, Magneto (AKA Eric), and all things from the X-men comics/movies are not mine. I do however retain the rights to LABB, Alex, Kat, and Megan… I'll not give them up to anyone.**

Alex leads the way through the LABB's administrative entrance, flashing his ID badge to the guard without stopping. The guard almost lets them pass, but puts his arm out in front of Kat at the last moment, "Wait, where is your ID, ma'am? I can't let you pass without seeing your ID badge."

Kat barely keeps from smashing the guard, "I do not have ID, sir. I am not a LABB associate… yet. I was informed that I could come in with my husband today, so I can take a look at the facilities."

The guard's expression doesn't change, "Name please. I will have to radio the main office for clearance."

Kat nods curtly, "Of course. My name is Kathy Reynolds. Alex handed in my guest clearance forms last night." The guard reports her name to the main office with a request for clearance conformation, and they all wait for the response. The office radios back an all clear and a welcome to Mrs. Reynolds. The guard nods and lets her pass, "Sorry about that, Mrs. Reynolds, seems the office forgot to warn me."

"Quite all right, sir. At least you are doing the job that you are being paid to do." Kat follows after Alex, who has stopped a few feet in to wait for her.

Alex smiles, "Very well handled, Kathy."

"Why thank you, Alexander." She returns his smile and examines the walls with her senses as she goes in. This part of the facility is new to her, as she had been a prisoner not a guest the last time she entered. She smiles as she gets a clear picture of where every wire and electronic in the surrounding hallway is and goes, "Shall I start?"

"Once we've entered the cell area, yes." Alex knows that Kat wants to short out everything as quickly as possible, but he also knows that they must wait until they have sealed the main office to take out the cameras. Kat nods without question; she trusts Alex. He is the one that had gotten her out of the LABB in the first place.

They continue on down the hallway in silence. Kat nods to a guard or two that they pass. Alex doesn't even acknowledge their presence. He is known in the LABB for being a very closed and efficient Handler, not a warm and friendly individual. Of course, watching Alex at his coldest only amuses Kat, because she knows what is truly in his mind.

"_It is just ahead, Kat."_ Alex takes her hand with his forcefully, as they come to an open door and pass some of the other Handlers.

A few of the men make cat-calls and one gets slapped on the arm by the woman next to him, "That's Reynolds' woman, you dolt!"

"I'm just looking, not like I intend to touch." He winks at Kat.

Kat raises her eyebrow at the Handler, "No wonder your work is so tedious, Alex. Working with such animals is never enjoyable." Most of the women crack a smile at that.

"Nasty tongue on that one… course she has to do the talking for both of them." The man shakes his head and goes back to cleaning blood off a leather whip.

The woman that had hit him watches after Kat and Alex as they pass into the offices that separate the facility and the cells, "That one bothers me… she seems familiar somehow… but she proves that Alex wasn't messing with his 'pet.' He's the one girl kind of guy."

"What evera you say."

Kat and Alex enter the office lounge and wait for the doors to the actual offices to be opened so they may proceed, _"I remember now why I didn't like him." _ Kat shares a look with Alex.

Alex nods, _"He forces himself on his best trained charges… but he hasn't been finding time for such things of late."_ A small smile plays at the corners of Alex's mouth. Their mental exchange is not noted by the gentleman that emerges from the office to greet them.

The Director of LABB smiles charmingly at Kat and kisses the back of her hand, "Mrs. Reynolds, -may I call you Kathy?- How nice to finally meet you!" He leads Kat inside, leaving Alex to follow as he will, "Your husband has spoken very highly of you, said you came from a military family, highly anti-mutant… and that you have a Doctorate in Psychology, my dear! We truly could use someone of your knowledge in our humble institute."

Kat smiles coolly in return, "I have already been debriefed on the state of affairs here at Learning Administration Borough of Banquill." She shakes her head playing at disappointment, "These mutants need a military based learning structure. Give them set schedules, strict rules, and unwavering authority, and even a mutant will conform to the mental oppression and obedience that is required."

The Director's smile broadens considerably and takes on a darker edge, "I do like the way you think, Kathy... but we do not have quite the military background that you do."

"I have a few ideas regarding the schedule, rules, and shows of authority that would best serve your institute, sir. Do you wish to look over them now... or after I see the cell area?" She pauses and adds, "The configuration of the cells may or may not have an impact in and of itself on the mutants."

"If that is the case, I shall let you tour the cell area first. I'm sure Alex would be happy to show you around… I have a bit of paper work to process for our newest arrivals." The Director sends one last smile Kat's way, motions for Alex and Kat to proceed, and disappears back to his office.

Alex nods, and Kat reaches out with her magnetism. She seals the main door to the offices, and the Director's office door by morphing and twisting the metal doors just enough to make it impossible for them to slide in their tracks. She does the same thing to every office they pass, and finally to the exiting door to the cell area after it has closed behind them. Alex places a hand on her arm, not bothering to speak physically, "_They're starting to panic. You best take down the radios before they tell the guards on this side that there is a problem._"

Kat nods and magnetizes the air enough to keep radio waves from getting through. She winces and shakes her head, "I don't know how long it will hold before the building gets pulled down… the bracing will only take so much concentrated magnetism, you know…. All that pulling will bring down the walls if I put too strong of a field up, but if I put too weak of a field up I won't cause enough interference with the systems to keep those cameras, electronic doors, and radios from working. I'm glad I can manually force open those metal doors for the cells."

Alex nods and squeezes her shoulder reassuringly, "You are doing fine, Kat. Can you make the fields push outward instead of pulling in or do both at once to stabilize everything? That would solve the problem of the walls."

Kat blinks and thinks about this for a moment, "Never thought of that… I should be able to do it…" She rearranges the magnetic field she has up so that there are two of them one pushing while the other pulls, charging the air beyond letting electronics work properly, let alone pass radio waves, "Hopefully we don't stay in this long… not good for the human… or most mutant bodies, you know."

"Don't worry, Kat. Only a few cells to open and we'll be out." Alex moves forward with Kat at his heels.

"I'll go get guards… I think the cell doors shouldn't be too hard to open for you, Alex… I'm going to concentrate on frying the cameras and radio transmitters so that I can take down the interference with the doors…" She looks back to the office and grins, "And I've covered the office and entering hallway windows with metal so those few that had access to a window won't be going anywhere."

"Excellent work… Go ahead and get the guards and cameras… I'll work on the cells… sooner you can get the main fields down; the easier those metal doors will be to work." Alex starts working on the first door. Kat fries the nearby cameras and keeps her eyes out for any guards. After the first door, on down the hallway they go, opening the cells and giving the mutants instructions for how to get to the exit tunnel they had to use.

Kat hears a commotion after one of the mutants leaves and she sprints forward to catch the two guards that had spotted the freed mutant, "Not so fast." She tripped them up and fried them like she had the cameras, twisting and contorting their body's magnetic field so badly that it collapsed and killed them.

Alex comes up behind her and grabs Kat as she finishes off the two guards, "Kat! What the hell were you thinking? Damn it, I thought we agreed that taking out guards was not going to be fatal to them…" She just shrugs, and he grabs her shoulder. Alex forcefully turns Kat to face him. She looks down away from him, and he ducks his head to place his face in her line of sight and, looking up, catches her gaze with his. His voice is gentle despite his anger, "Kat…" He doesn't get any farther as Kat brakes eye contact and glances down at her victims.

She shakes her head, "I… I don't know what I was thinking… but we've work to finish, Alex… until we finish, maybe it is best I don't let myself think too much…"

Alex sighs, "Normally, I'd disagree with you, and make you work through this… but you are right… if you are allowed to deal with this now, we won't get the others out of here." He moves to the next cell and they go on again as they had been. They work in a heavy silence now, made so by the fact that Alex wouldn't have trusted himself to speak again, he was so angry with Kat, but more so with himself for not seeing this coming. He had known she was likely to do something like that, but he didn't believe it was possible. With his thoughts turned inward, Alex at first doesn't register the fact that he opened the last of the cells.

Kat gives the boy, which resembles Critter, the same directions as every other mutant since Alex seems too distracted, "Critter is waiting at the far end of the tunnel to lead you all out to safety. Get going, Chippy."

Chippy bounces in place, "Yes,-yes.-Chippy-go-to-Critter-now,-Kat." Away he bounds, leaving Kat and Alex as the only two mutants inside the facility.

Kat turns back to Alex and places a hand on his shoulder, "Alex… I'm sorry…" She reaches out to his mind to catch his boiling thoughts, "I know I screwed up…"

Alex pushes Kat's mind away and shakes his head, "No, I screwed up… I knew you weren't ready for this… I knew that not all the training could be undone and that some of the conditioning could lead you to kill without thinking about it… but I put you in this situation anyway."

"This isn't your fault, Alex. You trusted me… I thought I was ready… but… I…" It finally sinks into Kat's mind, "Oh, God, I killed two people without even blinking…" She rushes into the cell that Chippy had just vacated and Alex comes in after her.

He grabs her shoulders and gets her hair back just as she looses her last meal to the cell's toilet, "Kat, you are going to be fine." He soothes and rubs her back, using his power to settle her stomach, "I can't justify what you did, pet, but I can say that I would have done the same thing at one time in my life… and did." Kat doesn't respond just goes over to the sink and turns on the water to wash her face and try to clean out her mouth. Alex backs off and lets her deal with her own thoughts for a moment.

Kat turns off the faucet and dries her face, "Alex, I screwed up… we both did… you for trusting me, and me for killing them."

"Yes, we did… but do you keep beating yourself up, or do you go on with your life, knowing that you've learned your lesson. Neither will undo what you've done, but the second will make you a better person in the long run." He runs his hand through his long hair, "I personally have learned to take the second option… and while it will take a while for me to stop cussing at myself for not protecting you from this, I'll know better for next time."

"There won't be a next time… we can't keep working together on stuff like this if I can't control myself… I'm a danger to myself, will screw up anything we might be doing," her voice softens, "and most importantly, I'm a danger to you, Alex."

"Oh, no you don't. I'm didn't get to say that when I screwed up. I'm not going to let you do that to yourself. Come on, Kat. We have to get out of here, and I'm taking you back to the hotel room." Alex holds out his hand to Kat but she just shakes her head. He purses his lips into a half-annoyed, half-amused smile, "Have it your way then." He grabs her and throws her over his shoulder, "Don't squirm… you know this is for your own good. I will NOT let you try to isolate yourself from everyone, including myself, over something stupid."

"What happened to that 'We are friends and partners only' crap from back at the motel room?" Kat squirms anyway.

"A friend would not let you do this to yourself."

"A friend would grab me by the arm and drag me away… not throw me over his shoulder."

"This is easier."

"Is not… you're making excuses, Glowing Hands!"

"Maybe I am… but you and I both know that if you wanted to get away, you could."

"Damn you, Alex!"

"You can damn me all you like once you've listened to some sense, until then, quit squirming."

Kat goes still and mutters about the lack of dignity. Alex only smiles as he carries her out to the tunnel they had been using for their escape route. Usually it would have been closed off at this time of day, but he had opened it for the mutants use before meeting Kat. Alex doesn't set her down the whole time, meeting her complaints with silence. When they finally emerge at the far end, all the freed mutants are waiting for them, but with a slight addition that Kat hasn't expected. Alex sets her down on her feet and nods to an older gentleman, obviously a mutant, who is floating in the air over the metal tunnel floor, "I kept my end of the deal, sir. From here it is up to you. If they don't wish to go with you, not my problem, but LABB is all yours for the taking."

Kat looks at Alex, "You got someone else involved without telling me?"

"I told you I had friends to take care of things for us after the escape, Kat." Alex keeps his face pleasant.

"Oh, no, I'm not letting him go in there and start killing those poor, retched humans, Alex. It's bad enough that I killed two of them. This is not going to turn into a massacre." She places herself in front of the newcomer.

The newcomer just chuckles, "So you think you can stop blood-shed? They wanted you to kill and if you had not would they have shown such kindness to you while you were here, Hell-Cat? Or should I call you by your human name, Mary-Kathryn?" He grinned, "Yes, I know who you are. I have seen the files for all the mutants at LABB. Alex was kind enough to provide them for me."

"So? Somehow I don't think you took the time to learn all of their names, sir? And you have me at a bit of a disadvantage since I don't know yours." Kat places a hand on her hip and glares the much older man down, "And I don't care if they would have killed me or not, just because THEY would have done something doesn't mean I have to stoop to their level."

"But obviously you already have, since you said yourself that you killed two of them." He smiles, seeing an advantage over Kat.

"Back off, Old Man, I won't let you compound my mistake." Kat doesn't even flinch, "They have caused enough hurt to last a life time, why should we cause more?" She glances to Alex, "Alex, you have the copies of their files… including the tortures they subjected the mutants to… give those to the authorities and let THEM deal with it. Don't let him get to them." The X-men and Megan walk through the crowd of mutants and listen to what is being said.

"I tried that once, Kat… when I first joined LABB. The authorities were not interested in what goes on here, no matter what it was." Alex shakes his head.

"That was before I came to LABB… and I was in LABB 3 years, a lot changes in 3 years, Alex."

Alex hesitates, but before he can say anything more the other mutant picks up a metal panel from the floor and tries to use it to trap Kat, "That's enough talk. I have things to do." He uses a magnetic field which takes Kat off guard at first. Megan rushes forward but is pulled back by Logan.

As soon as Kat realizes what's going on, she counters the field with one of her own and turns the panel back on him, "Oh, no you don't."

The man blinks and then smiles, "Magnetism… not a very common power… unlike telepathy… and even rarer in the strength that you show, Hell-Cat."

Megan pulls away from Logan and confronts the mutant, "Eric, you leave my little girl alone!" The X-men make a move to help Megan but are engaged by Eric's followers.

"Your little girl… Yes, I can see that she acts much like you, Megan… headstrong, soft… and stupid." He throws the panel back at Kat with some force.

"Don't call me Hell-Cat. My name is Kathryn." She manages to stop the panel about a foot away from herself, "So what if I've got magnetism? What the power is doesn't matter so long as I know how to use it." She jumps and uses the floor panel she is standing on and a well placed magnetic field to spring herself up into the air and lets go of the other panel. It crashes into the wall just as Kat lands again, "For an old man, you don't do too badly."

Megan blinks, "Wait… you have magnetism, M. Kat? Why didn't you tell me… but… that would mean you have three powers…"

"Nope, just the two if even that many… my telepathy is a simple reading of the energy signals and magnetic field so it's part of the magnetism… it lets me pick up exactly what animals are thinking or feeling…. But this really isn't the time or place for that conversation, mom." Kat watches the older man warily, "You want to tell me who Eric is now, mom? Or do we go another round of 'let's not tell Kat cuz she'll freak'?"

Alex watches to see if Megan will tell Kat what he had already guessed from the similar mental patterns of Eric and Kat. Megan shakes her head, "Not the time for that… You're going home with us… and we'll take care of him."

"Umm… no," Kat rolls her eyes, "My problem, mom, so back off." The panel Kat is standing on raises and dumps her backward, sprawling her on her back.

Megan punches Eric, "How dare you touch my daughter!"

Eric rubs his jaw, "You always were-"

Megan interrupts, "Slower to use my 'gifts' than my fists?"

Kat jumps to her feet, walks up behind her mother, and places a hand on Megan's shoulder, "Whatever grudge you have with this guy, save it for later, mom."

"He just-"

"He just dumped me on my butt for not paying attention. I know better than that, so I deserved it." Kat nods to Eric and looks to Alex, "Alex, you have your cell… call the police to handle this one?"

Eric doesn't say anything while Megan and Kat are talking, but after Alex nods to Kat and gets out his phone, the older mutant seems to come to some sort of conclusion, "My, my, Megan. You have been keeping secrets, haven't you?" A small smile plays at the corners of his mouth, "Hell-Cat, I'll give you the LABB to deal with as you like, my dear. Call it a father's gift to his daughter." He turned to his team, "There is nothing more for us here. Let's go."


End file.
